Bob Kunz, corporate safety director at Dimeo Construction Co.’s Providence office, was recently named the 2012 Construction Safety Professional of the Year by the Associated General Contractors of Connecticut. The award honors a leading individual from the commercial construction industry who has demonstrated skills, integrity and responsibility in his or her career. Kunz was presented the award during AGC’s eighth annual Industry Recognition Awards Dinner in October. He has been employed with Dimeo since 2007 and has worked as a safety professional since 1992. more

Peter V. Lacouture, environmental and utilities partner at Robinson and Cole LLP, was recently named the Rhode Island Bar Association’s 2012 recipient of the Ralph P. Semonoff Award for Professionalism. The award honors the bar’s late president and the importance he placed on justice and public service. Lacouture, who has practiced law in Providence since 1972, represents clients in siting and permitting large infrastructure projects, negotiating related cultural-resource agreements and developing standard contracts for distributed generation facilities in Rhode Island. Lacouture holds an LL.B. degree from the University of Virginia School of Law and a B.A. degree from Yale University. more

David Easterbrooks, director of marketing and business development for Pare Corp., was recently named 2012 marketing professional of the year by the Boston chapter of the Society for Marketing Professional Services. Easterbrooks has worked as a marketing professional at architectural, engineering and construction firms for more than 25 years. As a member of SMPS Boston, he has served as an educational speaker, committee member, president, vice president, treasurer and director of education. He is a certified professional services marketer and holds a B.A. in English from Rutgers University. more

Mark Freel, a litigation partner in Edwards Wildman’s Providence office, was recently named a recipient of the William G. McLoughlin First Amendment Award, which will be presented by the Rhode Island Affiliate of the American Civil Liberties Union in November. The award is named for a former chair of the Rhode Island ACLU who was also a historian and faculty member at Brown University. Freel holds undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of New Hampshire, and received his law degree from the University of Connecticut. more

Lisa Tener, founder of the Bring Your Book to Life program, was recently honored at the American Business Awards with a gold award in the marketing-media category and a bronze award in the executive of the year-media category. Her eight-week program was designed to help writers turn their ideas into published books. Tener holds an M.S. in management, with a concentration in marketing, from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In addition to being a published author, she is a faculty member at Harvard Medical School’s continuing education program and regularly presents at the Ocean State Writer’s Conference. more

Don Saracen, president and founder of Saracen Sales & Communications, was recently named chapter member of the year by the New England chapter of the National Speakers Association. Saracen is president-elect of the association, and works as a sales and ctommunications expert, speaking, training and consulting with businesses and organizations looking to improve their sales, communication and business-development efforts. He is a Providence Rotarian and Paul Harris Fellow, and holds the Advanced Communicator Gold designation from Toastmasters International. Saracen majored in communication studies at Emerson College. more

Jeffrey A. Butler, broker-owner of Butler Realty Group, is the recipient of the 2012 National Commercial Award from the National Association of Realtors. The award, which honors outstanding achievement in the commercial realty industry, recognized Butler for his “deep contribution to the industry, which displays the strength of [the association’s] commercial members.” Butler, a graduate of Tollgate High School, serves as treasurer of both the Rhode Island Commercial and Appraisal Board of Realtors and the Rhode Island Statewide MLS. He is active with several other professional associations and has been a member of the Realtors association since 1977. more

Ann Sutherland-Auclair of Auclair & Auclair, a wealth-management firm, was recently named a 2013 Five Star Wealth Manager by Rhode Island Monthly. Sutherland-Auclair was honored for overall client satisfaction on the magazine’s list of Five Star Wealth Managers, which takes into account client evaluations and reviews by peers, regulatory-compliance boards and a Blue Ribbon panel. She holds various insurance licenses, industry certifications and an M.A. in counseling psychology from Assumption College. more

Cheryl A. Dugas Ethier recently received the certified divorce-financial-analyst designation by the Institute for Divorce Financial Analysts. Ethier is a financial planner at SK Wealth Management LLC and has a master’s of professional accountancy degree from Rhode Island College. In addition, she holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Bryant University and has several other professional certifications. more

Vittoria Pacifico-DeBenedictis was recently appointed president of St. Mary Academy-Bay View, a Catholic school for girls in pre-kindergarten through grade 12 in East Providence. For the past 11 years, she has served as principal of St. Francis of Assisi School in Braintree, Mass. Pacifico-DeBenedictis holds a master’s degree in school administration from Emmanuel College and is currently a doctoral candidate at the University of Massachusetts at Boston. more